NFL player prop: Dashing through the snow

Since losing to the Lions in the Thursday night season opener, the defending-champion Chiefs have reeled off six consecutive victories. One of them was a lower-scoring-than-expected 19-8 decision over the Broncos, who had previously given up a jaw-dropping 70 points to the Dolphins. As Kansas City visits snowy Denver and looks to extend the winning streak over its AFC West rival to 17 games, we’re backing a workhorse for our top prop:

The bet: Over 64½ rushing yards for Chiefs running back Isiah Pacheco (DraftKings)

A seventh-round pick out of Rutgers, Pacheco gradually earned a larger role as a rookie last year. He became the starter in Week 7 and went on to exceed this number in six straight games.

This season, Pacheco has gotten the vast majority of early-down work, posting a career-best 115 rushing yards against the Jets at the beginning of the month. He fell just under this mark with 62 yards in the first meeting with Denver, but a surprisingly competitive game resulted in increased receiving usage, as he set new highs for targets and catches (six of each).

The Broncos rank dead last in run defense on both a per-play and per-game basis. They allowed the Dolphins’ De’Von Achane and Raheem Mostert to combine for 285 rushing yards in that aforementioned thrashing in Miami, and the Jets’ Breece Hall romped for 177 against them while delivering our prop three weeks ago.

Combating the wintry conditions with his trademark “angry” running style, Pacheco will see his yards pile up like the snow.